FCA loses design infringement case against Mahindra as US court clears the brand to build and sell the Roxor off-roader.
Since its launch in the United States back in 2018, Mahindra’s Roxor off-roader has been facing multiple lawsuits by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) – Stellantis, over its Jeep-like design. In a recent development, Mahindra has said that it has got the clearance to manufacture and sell the Roxor with the design update that debuted post-2020.
- Post-2020 Roxor cleared for manufacture and sale
- Fiat’s request to apply the “safe distance rule” on Roxor denied
- Roxor has already got two design tweaks since 2018 launch
Mahindra Roxor back on sale in North America
In a regulatory filing, Mahindra has said that on July 19, 2023, the Eastern District Court of Michigan issued its order on FCA’s renewed motion to enjoin the post-2020 Roxor and, based on its analysis, has declined to apply the “safe distance rule” to this case as sought by FCA. With this ruling, Mahindra Automotive North America, a subsidiary of the company, continues to have no restraints on its ability to produce, sell and distribute the post-2020 Roxor in the US, the carmaker said in the filing.
Mahindra sells the Roxor with a 2.5-litre diesel engine paired to either a 5-speed manual gearbox or an automatic transmission. The off-roader is assembled in Detroit and is currently on sale only in the US.
Since its launch, the Roxor has gathered a fan following in the off-roader/side-by-side enthusiast community in the US. While the vehicle cannot be driven legally on roads and is for off-road use only, some states permit their use on roads as well.